Southwest light-rail project soap opera still producing shocking scenes

A 50-ft-wide work site for tunnel construction is making it prone to flooding.

The saga of the Southwest light-rail project in Minneapolis is looking more and more like a soap opera series.

It does not look like the drama will be cancelled anytime soon.

The Metropolitan Council has announced the line will not be ready to provide rides for passengers until 2027, and the final cost for the 14.5-mile-long route could be as high as $2.75 billion.

On Jan. 30, state Senate transportation committee chair Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) and state Rep. John Petersburg (R-Waseca) announced they would favor freezing funds on the project until an audit is completed. Ranking minority transportation committee member Sen. Scott Dibble (D-Minneapolis) also is calling for a full audit, which could take up to a year to complete. State funding for the project, however, puts a cap at $30 million. Most of the money has come from the Federal Transit Administration, Hennepin County and its regional railroad authority.

Change orders continue to plague the project. Through mid-August 2021 a total of 461 change orders had been executed, costing an additional $203 million. However, the cost of the biggest change order linked to the Kenilworth tunnel has yet to be negotiated.

On Jan. 26 the Met Council approved to set a revised budget and expend the contingency fund. A dispute resolution process also was created. The move will allow the Met Council to reset the remaining civil construction phases with the contractor Lunda/McCrossen Joint Venture and negotiate with contractor Aldridge/Parsons Joint Venture for the installation and testing of infrastructure.

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